Mine car bumper



March 10, 1942. w L 'N Q 2,276,167

MINE CAR BUMPER Fil i Feb. 15, 1940 5115 WWI/ 5 Patented Mar. 10, 1942 STATES TENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in bumper construction for mine cars and similar industrial cars.

One object of the invention is to provide a bumper comprising a front buffing plate carrying slidable friction blocks engageable with fixed friction members on the side Walls of the bumper, the slidable friction blocks being movable transversely of the bumper, but held fixed longitudinally with respect to the bufiing plate by the guide members by which the slidable blocks are guided in their sliding movement.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a mine car bumper wherein the front bumn plate is provided at its upper andlower edges with inwardly extending plate members which embrace the slidable friction blocks, guide members for the said friction blocks being provided on said plates and the friction blocks being held against movement longitudinally of said plates by said guide members.

A still further object is to provide a mine car bumper in which the draw-bar substantially embraces the inwardly extending plates carrying the slidable friction blocks and is rigidly attached to at least one of said plates whereby, under buffing and draft strains, the bufiing plate and the plates extending inwardly of the bumper, together with the slidable friction blocks, will be moved longitudinally of the car and effect a movement of the slidable friction blocks with respect to the fixed friction blocks for the purpose of absorbing such draft or bufnng strains.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain detail of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will hereinafter be more fully described, and the novel features thereof particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a front View of the present bumper, with a portion of the buffing plate removed to permit illustration of the interior of the bumper;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional View on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig.2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the slidable friction blocks; and

Fig. 5 is a similar view of one of the fixed friction blocks.

In accordance with the usual practice, the bumper construction is tied into the car body, so to speak, being illustrated in the present instance as being mounted on a channel member Ill,

which may represent the end sill of the car. Extendingforwardly from the end sill are guideways I I, consisting of channel members which might be said to constitute the side walls of the bumper. The rigidity of these ways I I may be augmented by the use of gusset plates I2 suitably secured to the exterior surface of the ways and end sill I0.

In the preferred construction of the present invention, the buffing plate I3 at the front of the bumper is provided with upper and lower plate members I I, I5, which extend into the ways I I, being embraced by the inturned portions I6 at the tops and bottoms of said ways. Preferably, these plate members l4, I5, and the front buffing plate I3, are of integral formation. Fixed on the inner surfaces of ways II are wedge-shaped friction blocks Il, the blocks being triangular in horizontal cross-section, with the base of the blocks secured against the face of the ways. These two fixed blocks are arranged opposite each other, with their apices in alinement and, cooperating with said blocks, are transversely slidable blocks I8, each of which has a V-shaped recess in one face thereof adapted to ride on the inclined surfaces of the fixed blocks. Blocks 'I8 are carried by, but movable transversely of, the upper and lower plates I 4, I5, but are held against movement longitudinally of said plates. The position and movement of these slidable blocks I8 are governed by guide members I9 fixed on said plates It, I 5, the guides being disposed transversely of the plate, but with each pair of guides spaced apart longitudinally of the plate a sufficient distance to accommodate the movable blocks I8. With this arrangement, as the bufiing plate I3 and the inwardly extending plate members I4, I5, are moved longitudinally of the Ways II, the movable blocks I8 will ride up one or the other of the inclined surfaces of the fixed blocks H, the frictional engagement between the pairs of blocks tending to absorb the strain, either bufling or draft strains, under which the bufiing plate is being moved.

To aid in absorbing these bulfing or draft strains, the contiguous faces of the slidable blocks I8 are formed with cylindrical projections 20, and encircling these projections is a heavy coiled spring 2|. Thus, as the blocks I8 ride up the inclined surfaces of blocks I'I, said blocks I8 and the projections 20 will be moved toward one another. The compression of spring 2I, under these circumstances, tends to resist such movements of the blocks I8. and, thus, absorbs a portion of the bufiing or draft strains. In order to protect spring 2|, the projections 20 are of such length that they will abut against one another before spring 2| goes solid.

To further simplify the construction of the bumper, the draft strains are transmitted to the bufing mechanism directly from the draw-bar, or coupling yoke, through the bufiing plate, and the latters inturned plates l4, l5. For instance the draw-bar may be of substantially U-shape and the lower leg 22 thereof secured to the lower plate l5 and the base portion 23 of the U-shaped draw-bar may extend upwardly against the rear edges of plates l4, I5, each of which are cut away, as at 24, to accommodate the draw-bar. The upper leg 25 of the drawbar overhangs, or is spaced above, the upper face of the bumper. Suitable openings 26, 21, are provided in the forward end of the draw-bar in both the upper and lower legs thereof, and also in both the upper and lower plates M, I5, for a coupling pin or other coupling device. With this arrangement, the bumper is essentially a part of the draw-bar, in the sense that draft strains are transmitted from the U-shaped member, called the draw-bar, to the top and lower plates of the bumper, and thence through the buffing mechanism to the car sills. This not only simplifies the construction, but results in an appreciable distribution of the draft strains over the end sill on which the bumper is mounted.

What I claim is:

1. In a bumper for mine cars, the combination of the end sill of the car body, transversely spaced, longitudinally extending ways attached to the outer face of said sill, a pair of laterally spaced fixed friction blocks mounted on said ways, upper and lower plates slidable in said ways longitudinally of the car body, a buffing member connecting the outer edges of said plates, a second pair of laterally spaced slidable friction blocks carried between said plates in engagement with the fixed blocks, transversely extending guide members on said plates for said slidable blocks, said fixed blocks and said slidable blocks having contacting inclined surfaces and said slidable blocks being movable longitudinally of said guides toward each other upon movement of said plates longitudinally of the car body, a spring interposed between said slidable blocks yieldingly resisting their movement toward each other, said slidable blocks being movable into engagement with each other before said spring is fully compressed, and a coupling yoke having one of its legs rigidly secured to one of said plates, the legs of said yoke and said plates having alined openings for the reception of a coupling pin.

2. In a buffer construction for mine cars, the combination of a pair of opposed, laterally spaced friction blocks fixed with respect to th car body and having inclined surfaces thereon, connected upper and lower plates movable longitudinally of the car body, a second pair of laterally spaced friction blocks slidably supported on said lower plate, said slidable blocks being movable transversely of said plates toward each other by engagement with the inclined surfaces of the fixed blocks when said plates move longitudinally of the car body, a spring interposed between the slidable blocks and supported on said blocks for yieldingly resisting movement of said blocks toward each other, said slidable blocks being movable into contact with each other before said spring is fully compressed, and transversely extending guides on said plates for holding the sliding blocks fixed longitudinally of said plates.

WILLIAM T. DALTON. 

